Thanks to New Rules, Outdoor Dining Is Mostly for Rich Neighborhoods Again
Look at this fancy streatery in Midtown. Not for you! (Hell Gate)

Thanks to New Rules, Outdoor Dining Is Mostly for Rich Neighborhoods Again

New data shows that with the elimination of year-round outdoor dining, just 2.2 percent of restaurants with roadway dining are in neighborhoods with median incomes of $60,000 or less.

Lower income neighborhoods are losing out under the City's new seasonal outdoor dining program. 

Only 8.5 percent of restaurants with roadway dining are in City Council districts with median household incomes of $80,000 or less, according to an analysis of Department of Transportation data by the advocacy group Open Plans. An even smaller share, 2.2 percent, are in neighborhoods with median incomes of $60,000 or less. 

By contrast, the large majority of roadway dining—78.2 percent—is in neighborhoods with median incomes above $100,000, according to the analysis shared with Hell Gate. 

The data is based on a list of restaurants that got full approval or conditional approval for curbside dining from the DOT as of June 30.  

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